With the advancements in computer network technologies, large computer networks have become quite complicated, with sophisticated administration schemes for managing user access and security of the network. For instance, a large computer network typically has multiple domains, each having a primary domain controller that contains a database of usernames, passwords and permissions for machines in its domain.
In contrast, small-scale local networks, such as home networks and small business networks, have remained rather simple and unsophisticated. Most of the small-scale networks are unmanaged in that there are no dedicated devices, such as domain controllers in a large network, for handling account information in a centralized manner. The machines in such an unmanaged network typically are connected to the same hub and operate as a loose peer-to-peer group (sometimes called a “workgroup”) intended only to help users find such things as printers and shared folders within the workgroup. Otherwise the machines operate like stand-alone machines. As a result, the unmanaged network offers little value to the users. There is no effective security administration, and the machines are not well integrated to facilitate network access and resource sharing. Local accounts must be manually created on every machine, and there is no relationship between accounts on different machines in the workgroup. Thus, a user may be able to log onto one machine but not another machine in the same network because her account has not been set up on the latter. There is no reliable mechanism to enumerate the computers in the network. Also, the sharing of resources on the machines can be difficult to implement and difficult to manage to provide security.